Ah, winter. Time to hunker down inside—and realize that you never tackled half the projects from your 2012 New Year's to-do list. Feel guilty? The best cure for that—and cabin fever—is to get busy. Here are the home-savvy shortcuts that'll help.

A little bit of painting goes a long way. [1] Clean up those scuffed walls in high-traffic areas, such as hallways and foyers, with a fresh coat of semigloss or satin finish. You can also [2] turn up the volume in a drab room by painting just one wall a different color than the rest. Use a piece of artwork or upholstered furniture as a cue for which hue to choose. And who says that an overhead surface needs to be white? [3] Paint the ceiling a darker color—again, coordinating with furniture or artwork—to provide contrast and cozy up the room.

We think wallpaper gets a bad rap as old-fashioned. [4] Give a room an updated look in a flash with temporary wallpaper. The peel-and-stick application makes it easy to put up (and take down, if you don't like the effect). Use it to cover up a naked backsplash in the kitchen or give new life to bland entryways, or stick it above a shelf to draw attention to your great book collection (like you, we still believe in the printed word).

So you've been wanting to replace the kitchen floor for about a year now, but you can't swing a big cash outlay. No problem. [5] Try laminate-plank flooring. The modular, snap-in-place veneer—with fetching brand names such as TrafficMaster Allure—is easily installed right on top of your existing floor. We tried it and in a matter of hours had the warm look of a hardwood floor sans the cost or the labor of putting down a subfloor. We won't criticize your taste—but we do recommend you take down that tired framed print of a fruit bowl and [6] amp up your kitchen storage by installing simple shelving. Put your plates and mugs on display; they'll be useful and decorative.

The most visited rooms in the house deserve a faucet-lift. [7] Replacing fixtures in the ol' latrine or kitchen can add a much-needed reboot. If you doubt your set of skills or tools, find a friend who can show you the ropes, er, pipes. [8] A much simpler task—recaulking a bathtub or shower—will freshen up a bathroom fast. After removing the old stuff, use professional-quality silicone caulk, not a latex blend, which has a much shorter life span. Other quick bathroom brighteners: [9] Mount a wine crate on a wall for storing rolled towels. [10] Get an old five-rung ladder, paint or stain it, and lean it against an empty wall as a towel rack. [11] Install a glass shelf above the sink to hold your grooming goods—and a scented candle, too, which will add a zen-like ambience to your washroom.

[12] Swap out venetian blinds for a simple roman shade—and create an elegant look that Caesar himself would be proud of. [13] For windows with curtains, install new rods for maximum impact with minimal labor. Extend the rod 3 to 6 inches beyond the frame to make the window look more expansive. To add a classic look to any room [14] install chair rails and moldings around ceilings and doors. Prime the materials before installation, then add a coat of paint to finish the job. Last but not least, put a handle—or a knob—on it: [15] Adding fresh hardware to drawers and cabinets makes 'em look like new.